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For Victor Moses, the euphoria of 2016 and 2017 has eclipsed in 2018. But the darkness isn’t abating. The winger finds himself in a familiar mire at Chelsea. In cases like this, only a proactive step guarantees renaissance. There isn’t time for Moses to sit on his hands any longer. It’s time to find pastures new.
Moses was at the centre of the highlight of Antonio Conte’s smash and grab 2016-17 Premier League-winning team. He was also a tool in the Blues team that won the FA Cup in May. But things have turned quickly for the Nigerian. Not for the better, sadly. Moses has fallen deep into the choking fringes of Chelsea’s first team.
The scenario is not new to the buzzing winger. Due to lack of playing time at Chelsea, he had to be farmed out on loan in 2013-14 (Liverpool), 2014-15 (Stoke City) and 2015-16 (West Ham). His return to Chelsea for preseason in 2016 coincided with a new manager who needed his skill-set to deploy a system that was alien to the Premier League.
Moses thrived under Conte. The 40 matches he played in his first year under the former Juventus boss were three short of his career high in appearances for Chelsea (43 in 2012-13).
Moses now looks the biggest casualty of Conte’s sack. The 3-4-3 which gave him wings playing as a wingback has since been abolished by new manager Maurizio Sarri. Moses’ fall down the pecking order has truly been bizarre.
He’s behind Pedro, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and even Callum Hudson-Odoi. Sarri won’t even consider the thought of him as a right-back. Davide Zappacosta deputises for Cesar Azpilicueta in that department.
That Moses isn’t playing regularly anymore doesn’t make him a bad player. The forward can still hold his own if given regular minutes. The main issue is, he has to find it elsewhere. He has at least 5 Premier League options he should consider.
Let us take a look at 5 possible destinations for Moses, given his low number of minutes at Stamford Bridge.
#1 Leicester City
Leicester City play a direct style of football which suits Moses pretty well. Although Claude Puel already has a few good wingers at his beck, Moses would be an instant upgrade on all. Demarai Gray and Marc Albrighton would face stiff competition for their regular place if the Foxes ever decide to recruit Moses.
#2 Bournemouth
Eddie Howe’s troop are doing incredibly well in the League this term; they’ve scored twenty goals already and are sixth in the Premier League standings. The Cherries are certainly punching above their weight. During the summer transfer window, they signed a few players – including Jefferson Lerma, a defensive midfielder who they got from Levante for €28 million. They didn’t sign a winger.
Understandably, Bournemouth’s reluctance to sign a high-quality winger is due to the form of Junior Stanislas and Ryan Fraser. But they can only rely on this pair for so long. Moses is available and he’ll fit right into Howe’s system.
#3 West Ham
During his loan spell with the Hammers in the 2015-16 campaign, Moses established himself as a first team regular in Slaven Bilic’s side. Injuries hampered his shine with the Iron but he still managed 26 appearances with a couple of goals to his credit. That was two years ago.
Moses has developed and garnered more experience since. He’s now a Premier League winner who is versatile in any attacking role. West Ham would be getting an upgraded Moses. And yes, they need him.
#4 Crystal Palace
Moses began his career in England with Crystal Palace. You can bet some Crystal Palace supporters still remember that young kid who could dribble past anything. His style hasn’t changed much since.
If Palace can meet the personal terms of the 27-year-old, Roy Hodgson would be delighted to have Moses on board. The load on Wilfried Zaha is almost overwhelming; Moses would certainly add a cutting edge to the Eagles. They need him as soon as January.
#5 Wolves
If the Wolves are really serious about prolonging their Premier League stay, they must continue to buy quality players. It’s likely that Moses would be available in January – getting him will be a great way to bolster their squad for the business end of the campaign.
Wanderers have 15 points already and their chances of survival are looking pretty, however, strengthening their squad would make them even better.
Moses recently retired from international football to focus on his club career. Any Premier League club who signs him now would be reaping the rewards of getting a focused and committed player who is in need of minutes.
